A scenic journey through Germany’s oldest cities and picturesque landscapes

The private sundecks in the balcony suites on the Scenic Pearl promise gentle views of vineyards, castles, swans, maybe even some ducks, but not long after departure from Basel my tranquil view of the Rhine is swapped for a brick wall. The wall belongs to a lock and the chamber is so narrow, the ship’s bumpers keep juddering into it. Until the gates open, the Pearl will be surrounded. It’s like being trapped in a massive brick box without a lid: the space is so tight I only have to stretch out a hand to touch the side.

Reflections on the river.

On board the Scenic Pearl.

For anyone with an interest in how things work, the ancient process of moving ships from high to low water (or vice versa) is fascinating, and not just for engineering reasons. The experience immediately puts you in touch with the true purpose of the river — a waterway that has been transporting troops, people and produce for aeons.

That purpose is even more evident up on the viewing deck, where the flat roof of the ship offers 360 degree views of the river. Three days into our cruise, it’s the perfect place to admire the spectacular UNESCO-listed Rhine Gorge.

Like the royals, we offer gentle waves to working barges and other vessels, slowly sail past ruined and restored castles, steep cliffs planted with grapevines, picturesque villages and the Lorelei, the massive cliff face marking an infamous spot for shipwrecks. As if fluvial geology wasn’t a good enough explanation for the disasters, a legend popularised through poetry and music lays the blame on a mythical siren named Lorelei, who bewitched passing sailors then led them to their deaths.

It’s the right place for such a tale. Close to the Black Forest and dotted with the small villages and towns whose intact half-timbered houses and cobbled streets inspired many a Disney movie, the setting is pure brothers Grimm.

I’m on Scenic’s 15-day Romantic Rhine and Moselle river cruise and the itinerary has delivered: The focus on nature, folklore, nostalgia and landscape reflected in the work of the artists, composers and writers of Germany’s late 18th and 19th century romantic age is perfectly expressed in towns like Colmar, the inspiration for the setting of the Disney animation of Beauty and the Beast, based on the 18th century tale by Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve. It might be part of France now, but Colmar, like many parts of the Rhine within the French border, also has deep Germanic roots.

The “Enrich experience” for guests, with music from Bach, Vivaldi and Schubert and then a choir.

The Moselle river’s scenery is perhaps even more spectacular than the Rhine’s.iStock

The Rhine is spectacular, but when we turn left at Koblenz and enter the Moselle River, the scenery is possibly even more beautiful. There’s less water traffic and the narrower river allows us to get closer to the riverbanks. We know we’re lucky to have this experience. Some years there isn’t enough water to allow ships into the Moselle and earlier in the season a damaged lock meant itineraries were abruptly changed. We spend a few days exploring the river including Cochem and Trier, Germany’s oldest city and the site of a UNESCO-listed intact Roman gate in the heart of the city’s old town.

In every place we visit, the history of the region is apparent – from those Romans to the Middle Ages, or the first German Empire and the France and Germany we know today is told in battles won and lost. The ruined castles? Mostly Napoleon, explain various German guides wearily.

Vineyards with the Niederwald monument rising above.Getty Images/iStockphoto

In Bad Rudesheim we hike up through the vineyards to the Niederwald monument, built to commemorate the end of the Franco-Prussian war and the founding of the German Empire. A 12.5 metre statue Germania, symbol of the German nation, overlooks the Rhine, an olive branch in contrast to her powerful sword. It seems to me to be ominously pointing at France.

In Trier, our exclusive “Enrich experience” is a private performance in the Liebfrauenkirche, the oldest cathedral in Germany. Inside the magnificent, beautifully restored church, a classical trio performs Bach, Vivaldi and Schubert, while for their last song, the choir steps forward from the altar to surround us, their voices like The Pied Piper, leading us to a better place. Just one more moment of pure magic in the land of fairy tales. The Romantics would have approved.

The Scenic Pearl on the Rhine River.THE DETAILS

CRUISE
Scenic’s Romantic Rhine and Moselle 15-day river cruise sails between Basel, Switzerland, and Amsterdam, the Netherlands, and includes visits to wineries, castles and the battlefields of World Wars I and II at Ypres and Passchendaele. Early bird offers start from $7995 a person (flights not included). See scenic.com.au

FLY
Qatar flies direct to Zurich (with train connections to Basel) and Amsterdam to and from Australian capitals. Return flights from $1557. See qatarairways.com

The writer travelled as a guest of Scenic.